Did you catch this one??...A Dog-Earred Inspiration

This was my guest post over at Paper Wings. If you didn't get a chance to stop by over there, here is your second chance!

So, I typically will flip through magazines, catalogs or even look on-line to get inspired or to challenge myself on some "re-creations."  The tutorial below was inspired by an on-line jewelry company that was offering a necklace very similar to mine for $162.00! See Orginial Here. I decided to see if I could re-create his little piece for under ten bucks. You can decide for yourself if I was successful! Enjoy...

 I started by rummaging through the old jewelry box.  I found a bracelet that was a little heavy to begin with and decided it could do without a third row.  I plan on re-stringing this at some point in the near future. I bought 3 yards of leather roping from a fabric store. If I were to do another one of these I would probably buy a little bit more. 

 Once I cut three equal strands, I used a needle and clear elastic thread to stitch the three cords together.  I then did a simple tight braid, making sure the leather stayed flat. I left about ten inches of the leather un-braided. I cut two of the three cords off and stitched the cords at the end of the braid to hold them in place. I pulled the elastic thread through so that I could string the beads. The needle of elastic thread then alternated between a bead and the leather. The leather followed an under, over pattern until the last bead was threaded.

Stitch the remaining leather to the other end of the necklace where the braid started. Now, you should have a circle. Tie the elastic thread off tight. Use the extra leather cord that was cut off from the braid and tie it around where the braid meets the beads. This will reinforce the necklace and hide the elastic thread knots.

 And here is the finished piece!

P.S. And here is the $162.00 version!

Awesome Guest Post from Paper Wings!

So, I'm so excited to introduce you to my very good friend and talented DIYer, Tracy at Paper Wings. Sticking with the jewelry theme, she is going to share a super cute necklace tutorial.  You can head over to her blog to see my first guest post... also a necklace, but a totally different look. I hope you try out both!

Hello everyone! I am Tracy from Paper Wings, and (YAY!) I am super psyched that Kristy has started this blog cause, let's face it...she's stink'n GOOD at this crafting/DIY biz. :) Hope you all like what I am sharing today, and by all means....come on by Paper Wings to sit for a spell..... :)

Ok, so on to today's post. I have been eying these types of necklaces since last summer/fall. It's about time I take action. :) Here we go.

What you need:
* Strips of material, about 2 inches wide. Fold in half and iron, so it's about 1 inch. (Or 1 inch ribbon.)
* beads (need to be about the width of your folded fabric.) I had this old necklace I picked up at a yard sale years ago. I took it apart, and used the creamy beads.
*string/ needle
*scissors

What to do:
Ok, so you have your fabric cut into a long strip, folded, and ironed. ( You may need to have a second strip to attach later if your original fabric strip isn't super long....I did.)

*Leaving a few inches at the end, fold strip into two pleats and stitch through.
*Feed bead onto needle, and stitch through.

*Add two more pleats to the other end of the bead and stitch through. Then stitch back through both sets of pleats and the bead.

*Continue until you have the length you desire.

*If you have a super long strip, then you just tie off your ends. I had to cut another strip in half, then use those two pieces to knot my ends.

Thanks again, Kristy for having me. It's been fun in the Pocket. :)

Loads of love- Tracy